The Princess' Guard Dog
by richardgeckcs
Summary: Clarke Griffin has no idea when or how it happened. But somehow she'd managed to gain a guard dog in one of the least likely people she'd ever thought. John Murphy.
1. Cerberus

Clarke had absolutely no idea how it happened, to be completely honest, had no idea when John Murphy of all people became her very own guard dog. Wherever she was, the dirty teen was never far behind, a gun slung casually over his shoulder or absently cleaning his nails with that damn knife of his even as his eyes scanned their surroundings like they could be attacked at any moment. Which, given their history since coming down to the ground wasn't much of a stretch but still! Today, she had no plans to leave Camp Jaha or even approach the fences but he still followed her and she'd gotten used to it, actually, even welcomed it. He was good company when he wasn't being a total ass to her and the people she cared for. Well, that part hadn't changed, he was rude to everyone but her…and Monty, because she thinks they'd bonded over being way to protective of her. Clarke was starting to think they had weekly meetings where they just talked about how she could've gotten herself kill that week.

As she walked towards the Med bay, her thoughts drifted to the incident not two weeks earlier when that ever constant knife of his had almost pinned a Grounders hand to the table when he got to close to her as she discussed something or other with Lexa. Usually, she was fast enough to stop him before he got it all the way out but she'd been distracted that day and to be honest she'd been slightly amused by the look on Nyko's face. He'd looked almost scared of the lanky boy at her right. Hell, she hadn't even known the little shit had come to the meeting until he'd popped up beside her with a drink halfway through the meeting. Clarke was pulled from her thoughts when she felt a hand wrap around her wrist and tug gently, her eyes snapping to Muprhy who had silently done so to stop her from running straight into the med bay door, a small and rare smile curling the corners of his mouth upward.

"Thanks, Cerberus.." She smiled, lightly touching the hand that had grabbed her wrist before pushing open the doors and walking inside. Clarke doesn't know where she'd picked up the nickname, but she thought it fit the boy, her own personal hell hound, the thought brought a rather unladylike snort from her as she walked inside. Murphy only a few steps behind her as she made her way over to her mother and came to a complete stop in front of her. A frown tugged at her lips when her mother turned a glare at Murphy over her shoulder, harshly ordering him out of the room. She almost wanted to snort when the young man simply cocked an eyebrow at the older Griffin and hopped up to sit on one of the operating tables in the room, knife dangling loosely from one hand as he supported himself on the other.

Sighing, she turned her attention away from her defiant companion and instead focused on her mother. "Listen, I only came to tell you that some of us are going to be leaving in a couple days. I thought seeing as you're the Chancellor and all you might like to know.." Abby looked like she was going to argue until she saw that look in her daughters eyes, the same look she'd seen when she released the Mountain Man, that defiant but strong and determined gaze. Sighing, the doctor gave a resigned nod and resolutely told herself not to look at the sneering boy perched on her operating table.

"You're free to go and you know it. The guard listens to you more than they do me these days." Abby muttered more to herself than Clarke, running a hand through her hair as she looked at the girl before her.

"Glad to hear it. Now that that's clear I have some other stuff to get done before I head to bed." Nodding politely to her mother, Clarke turned on her heel and waved a hand at Murphy, giving a silent command to follow that the boy automatically followed. "C'mon, Murphy, we got work 'ta do before we get to sleep." She joked over her shoulder as she strode out of the med-bay and down the walkways towards the front gates. The boy simply smiled softly at the back of his leader, following her obediently as she finished up her errands for the night.

Sooner than she thought, Clarke was back in her tent and collapsing tiredly into her makeshift bed without taking off her heavy winter jacket or her scuffed boots, simply rolling over to lay face first into her only pillow and breathing deeply. She didn't hear Murphy enter but she did feel him gently kick her boot and she did hear his quiet snort of amusement.

"Y'gonna sleep like that, Princess, or are you just taking a mini nap before rushing off to save the world again?" His voice was husky from disuse as he crouched down and tapped the back of her leg in a message to roll over that she easily responded to, rolling onto her back and half glaring/half squinting at the other teen. It still surprised her that he came to check on her before going to bed, in the tent that he'd moved just next to hers mind you. That she was the only person he seemed to care about in the entire camp, but it also warmed her to her core. Because despite everything she'd come to care about the little shit just as much.

"Ass." She muttered, halfheartedly kicking at his knee as she threw an arm over her eyes. Murphy snorted once more and he was sure she could hear his eye roll from her place draped across the bed like a starfish. Huffing quietly, he grabbed one of her booted feet and set to the task of un-lacing and pulling it off her foot.

"You love my ass…" He teased as he worked the first boot off her foot and set to repeating the motion with the other. "And you know it, so there's no use being so rude, Princess." John rolled his eyes up to look at his Princess with a smirk, tapping her ankle. She was his Princess. His warrior princess and his leader and he swore he'd never let anything happen to her. That she'd be able to do things like this for as long as he lived. Clarke peaked out from under her arm at Murphy, simply humming her agreement as he pulled the second boot off her foot.

"Sure, sure, whatever you need to tell yourself, Murph." She smirked at him as he gently set her feet back on the bed and tugged her to sit up. "C'mon, y'know I can do this m'self right?" Thought she didn't try to protest as Murphy pushed the heavy coat off her shoulders and lay it across the table near her 'bed'.

"I know, but I do it anyway. So zip it, sunshine." His actions completely contradictiong his teasing words as he pulled her to stand and pressed a gentle kiss to her hair. "I think you've got it from here, princess. I'm gonna head to bed. Y'know to holler if you need anything." Murphy nodded, patting her shoulder as he ducked out of the tent and walked the couple feet to his own.

Clarke rolled her eyes at Murphy's back but slipped out of her clothes from the day and into one of the shirts and shorts she used for sleeping. Snuffing the gaslight that kept her tent lit, she crawled under the covers and settled down to sleep, the sound of Murphy readying himself for bed a few feet away calming her as she drifted to sleep.


	2. Day Trip

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters nor the idea for this fic. Those rights go to the writers and tumblr user mango-llama.

I really wasn't planning on continuing but here I am.

I haven't really planned where this will go, how long it'll continue. But I do want to add more to it. Leave Review with what you'd like to see?

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Clarke woke slowly the next morning, the rising sun shining easily through the fabric of her tent and across her face. A quiet groan escaped her as she rolled onto her stomach, burying her face in her arm and attempting to go back to sleep. She didn't want to get up. Didn't want to deal with everyone's shit for the day and not for the first time she wished she'd just let her mother be in charge. That thought was quickly dismissed though when she thought of how much damage she could cause. Clarke loved her mother, really, but she had no idea how things on the ground worked and that left things completely on the shoulders of her and Bellamy.

The blonde was pulled from her revere by the sound of boots hitting the ground nearby, signaling the arrival of who she could only guess to be Murphy or Bellamy, any one else would've waited for her to be up and ready before coming to get her. Unless there was an emergency but the steps sounded far to slow for anyone to be in too much trouble so she was guessing they'd come to drag her from her bed. Sighing, Clarke rolled back onto her back and leaned back on her elbows as she watched the front of her tent with what she could only guess was a look of complete displeasure. Her look softened only slightly when Murphy ducked into the tent, still dressed in what they called sleep clothes on the ground. Usually consisting of either nothing or their usual clothes for the day. She herself was one of the few girls that had managed to get a second pair of clothes to sleep in.

"Mornin', sunshine. Don't you look ready to greet the day."

John smirked at the blonde as he stepped into the tent and made his way over to her bed, plopping down at the free spot near her feet and leaning back on his hands. That smirk never failed to annoy her, no matter how much the ass had endeared himself to her, that smirk always meant he was up to something.

"Screw you, Murphy. What do you want?"

Her words were devoid of any venom as she nudged his thigh with the foot still covered by her blanket and letting herself relax once more as she continued to slowly wake up.

"Sticks and stones, Princess." He shoved at the foot that had nudged him with a half hearted glare. "I'm here to retrieve you, your highness. Remember, we've got work to do today. It's our turn to hunt and then you wanted to go to the drop ship and pick up all the stuff we left behind. Then there's still some other stuff but that can wait for now."

Murphy cocked an eyebrow in the direction of his Princess and easily pushed himself up and off the ground, hand gripping her blanket and taking it up with him. Smirking, he set it just out of her reach and waved a hand for her to get up which only made her mood want to curl up and go back to sleep even more. But she knew that wasn't a choice so she pushed herself up and smacked her friends should none too gently, lips forming a pout she would always argue didn't exist. Clarke didn't say a word as she pushed him out of her way and picked up her blanket, throwing it back onto her bed.

"Out. I gotta get dressed."

The teen held up his hands but did as told without question, walking back to his own tent to dress for the day. Once he'd left, Clarke striped out of the clothes she slept in and threw them haphazardly into the makeshift laundry basket in the corner of her tent. The basket was empty save a few piece of bloody fabric she'd yet to wash. Clarke bit back a yawn as she grabbed her jeans and tugged them on, almost falling on her ass in the process before she'd managed to get them up her legs and buttoned, the rest of her clothes took no time at all. Her tank top and old Henley the easiest part before she sat down on the bed to pull her socks on. As if summoned by some invisible force, there was a cough outside her tent before Murphy walked back in.

Clarke didn't say a word, simply waving slightly as she pulled her boots on and set to the task of lacing them tight enough that they wouldn't come undone throughout her tasks for the day. She finished quickly, tucking a small knife into the side of one of her boots before she grabbed her jacket and medical bag.

"C'mon, as you said, we got work to do."

The blonde didn't wait for a response before walking out of the tent and setting on the path to the front gate of the camp where she knew the group for today's ventures would be waiting or at least starting to show up. She was proved right when she caught a glimpse of Bellamy's unruly mop of curls along with Octavia, Lincoln and surprisingly enough Monty. All of them waiting fully equipped for the day.

"Seems the Princess decided she would finally join us."

Bellamy smirked at his co-leader, tossing her a gun that she somehow managed to catch. Glaring slightly, she resisted the urge to flip the older boy off and handed the gun to Murphy before grabbing a small pistol for herself, tucking it into the back of her pants.

"Don't be an ass, Bellamy."

Octavia stepped in before Clarke could tell her brother off and giving the blonde a smile, the kind that they rarely saw anymore. Lincoln nodded in her direction, keeping quiet, the exact opposite of Monty who greeted her with a grin and a cheery Good Morning. God morning people disturbed her...  
Clarke shook her head, giving them both a small smile of her own before motioning towards the gate. No further words were needed as they set out into the woods with Bellamy and Clarke at the head, the others a couple steps behind, Murphy lingering closer than the rest with his hand resting on his gun. The hunting trip went quickly, Octavia taking down a rather large dear and Bellamy one of those weird jaguar things...she'd yet to come up with a proper name for the creature. Sooner than she'd realized the sun was high in the sky and the others wanted to get back.

"Go on back to camp, I wanna stay out for awhile."

Bellamy looked like he was about to protest when Octavia cut in and told him she'd be fine. The two siblings stared for a moment before he caved and turned with a muttered 'Don't die.' Lincoln and Octavia soon following and leaving Clarke and Murphy to themselves.

"Ready to go, Princess?"

Clarke nodded, turning and heading in the direction of the drop ship, a path she'd walked so many times she was sure she could make her way back there in her sleep, with Murphy falling into step alongside her. Again, they fell into a comfortable silence as they walked, simply enjoying the noise of the forest and the lack of noise that Camp Jaha was always filled with. The pair walked in silence for half an hour before they saw the walls of the place they'd once called home in the distance. It still hurt something deep inside her when she saw the wreckage surrounding the drop ship, the ashes and burnt bodies still laying on the ground around it. Murphy nudged her shoulder before she could allow herself to follow that rain of thought, a knowing look on his face as he looked down at her.

"It wasn't just you, Clarke. We've all had to do things down here, things what we never would've dreamed of doing while on the Ark...Don't let it get to you and move on."

He moved ahead without further word, walking through the grave yard that had once been their camp and walking into the drop ship, Clarke following behind at a slightly more subdued pace. His words, while true, did nothing to stop the ache that started in her chest when she thought of the last time they'd been here. They'd been protecting _him, _Finn...The ache in her chest turned into a burn when his name crossed her mind, his voice echoing through her head without her permission. She bit back tears, shaking her head at herself and stepping further into the drop ship.

"Check the top levels. I want all useful supplies out of her and back to camp as soon as possible."

Her voice was steady despite the war waging in her head, the ache in her chest pushed to the back of her mind as she focused herself on the task at hand. Her companion started to protest to leaving her alone but she cut him off with a glare and a wave of her hand.

"I can survive on my own for five minutes, Murphy. Go."

He gave her a disbelieving look but did as she had asked, climbing the latter to the second level of the drop ship and beginning his own search for supplies. Once he was out of sight, Clarke let herself slid to the floor, head resting on her knees as she fought to control her breathing. Jesus. How pathetic was she that the mere thought of Finn's name brought her close to hysterics. It took her several minutes to completely calm herself, her breath rattling through her chest as she fought to control it. It felt like hours before she could stand again, hands on her knees to support herself.

Clarke scolded herself mentally for allowing time to be wasted and made her way over to her old, make shift operating room. Setting the bag she'd brought with her for this purpose, she started to pack any and all medical supplies left over into the bag, only leaving behind a few things in case they ever got stuck here and needed emergency aid. By the time the sun started to set she'd packed almost everything they could need from the first level into her bag. Double checking her bag, which was now packed to bulging, she made her way up the latter, calling for Murphy as she did so. Clarke was only halfway up the latter when his head appeared in the hatch. She was about to ask him if he'd found anything when a sudden crack of thunder boomed up ahead causing her to jump slightly, fingers tightening around the ladder.

"Guess that means we're spending the night here, huh?"

Clarke glared up at Murphy, dropping from the ladder with a thud.

"Guess so."

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Hit a bit of a block at this point, but here's a second chapter!


	3. Drunken Revelations

**Voila! Another Chapter, and it hasn't been a month! I'm on a roll with this story, usually my muse to write goes away for weeks when I start writing a story but this one seems to be stickin' with me for now! **

**I know, I really should make the chapters longer. But I swear! I'm writing all I that my muse allows me to! **

**Enough of my rambling! On with the chapter**

**Disclaimer as always; I don't own the show, characters, or original idea for this story. All rights belong to their respective owners.**

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Once the rain had started it had really started, the water pouring down so heavily you couldn't see a few feet in front of you let alone walk through the forest. Accompanied by  
the loud rumbling of thunder and the crack of lightening, Clarke and Murphy had decided to play it safe and just stay in the drop ship for the night, which wasn't much of a hardship. To be honest, Clarke was relieved to not have to return to the camp and the inevitable nagging of her mother for going out to do what they had, to not have to take care of an entire camp for one night and simply be for a night. Murphy could be what you call a plus to the situation, his company not at all unwanted and the comfortable silence around them lulling her until she was relaxed.

"So, Princess..." Clarke glanced up when Murphy spoke and hummed in question. Once they'd realized they would be staying the night in the drop ship they'd gathered their bags, closed the door and made their way to the second level where there were still blankets and pillows from when they'd slept here before everything had happened. She had claimed one nearest to the wall and curled up into the blankets, watching Murphy chose one a few feet from her and settle down himself, his gun laid on the floor beside him.

"Are you okay?...You seemed out of it earlier" Despite herself she snorted in response, leaning her head back against the coolness of the metal wall behind her and closing her eyes. Her words were quiet when she chose to speak, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly.

"No...I'm really not, Murphy..." She stopped herself from saying anything more, instead cracking a tired eye open to look at the boy across from her and give him the best attempt at a smile she could. Clarke knew it bothered him when she was like this, when the guilt that she thought she'd accepted seemed to creep upon her and swallow her whole. It wasn't even the emotional part that upset him, she knew he didn't see the point of guilt when you had to do what you'd done and he'd told her this several dozen times. It was the fact that someone had hurt her by making her do it, that they'd made her weaker...but harder. Murphy had watched her harden her heart to everything around her and it pissed him off. So when she was in moods like this he did what little he could to help her.

"Obviously...Here." The boy reached into one of his bags and tossed her a dirty old bottle of whiskey, her hands automatically reaching out to catch it before it shattered against the floor. Clarke snorted slightly, turning it around in her hands before popping the cork and taking a gulp. Grimacing, she swallowed and held it out to Murphy in offering, only taking it back when he shook his head and motioned for her to drink it herself. Once she'd taken several ore gulps, she settled the bottle between her legs and took a deep, steadying breath.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were tryin' to get me drunk..." Clarke joked, toying with the cork as she watched the boy sitting opposite of her. It wasn't often she really got a moment alone with Murphy, without him or herself worrying that the other had gotten themselves killed...or the days they were both trying to make sure the camp was safe. She'd come to treasure the quiet moments, to look forward to them no matter how few and far between they became. The quiet and lack of rush to do her next errand making it near impossible to dwell on the darker thoughts lurking near the back of her mind. Clarke knew that tomorrow the thoughts would come right back, but for now she only felt relaxed and warm thanks to the whiskey currently settling in her belly.

"Maybe I am..Y'never know, Princess." Murphy smirked, leaning forward and grabbing the bottle from between Clarke's legs without a word about it. She started to protest but stopped herself, simply relaxing further into her mound of blankets and blinking at the lanky teen currently gulping down whiskey like it was nothing more than water. Which, compared to Monty's Moonshine that was basically paint thinner it probably was. The burn was much weaker than the inferno that the moonshine seemed to leave in it's wake, but the was a lot that could be said about the flavor. The whiskey was ambrosia compared to it, the faint taste of what she thought could be cinnamon giving the alcohol a certain kick that the moonshine just didn't possess.

"I wouldn't have doubted that before, but now that you've joined me I think I'm pretty safe." She leaned forward and made a grab for the bottle in his hands, a small pout forming on her lips when he held it just out of her reach. "C'mon, Murphy, really?" Clarke moved to rest on her knees, leaning further forward as she chased after the bottle until she about fell into his lap. To his credit, Murphy didn't flinch or even really react other than to smirk at her and flick her hard on the cheek.

"That's what 'ya get, princess. You shouldn't mess with a mans whiskey." Smirking, he took another long gulp before handing the bottle back to the girl laying in his lap. Clarke shifted so she was pillowing her head on Murphy's thigh and took the now close to half empty bottle back into her possession.

"Seeing as I'm the princess, I feel I should get first dibs on this..." She gave the boy above her a rare, unrestrained grin before leaning up on her elbows to take a long gulp of her own, a few drops of the amber liquid escaping her mouth and dripping onto her collarbone. Pulling the bottle from her lips, she frowned slightly and handed it back to Murphy.

"Think I've had enough..." Clarke slurred slightly, wrinkling her nose as she settled back into her previous position, arms folded across her stomach. She could already feel herself starting to become tired, the weight of everything from the last few months seeming to melt away as the alcohol worked it's way through her system, warming her all the way down to her toes. Before she let herself think on it, she opened her mouth.

"Y'know, I don't think I thank you enough...you know, for all that you do for me. I mean, you really don't have to but you do it anyway...It means a lot to me, Murphy.." Clarke spoke quietly, looking up at the other teen as she did so to gauge his reaction.

"I know, Princess...You don't have to say it for me to know...But either way, you're welcome...I don't do it for thanks. I do it because I want you to be safe and happy, because you deserve that. You're this beautiful light...that I selfishly don't want to lose. You, Clarke Griffin, are my princess and I will continue to be here to protect you until either of us dies." Clarke stared up at Murphy, shocked at his short speech. He'd spoken so candidly, like the words coming from her mouth were general knowledge. She really shouldn't be so surprised, he'd taken to treating her like some kind of..._princess_...for a long time now. Snapping and snarling at anyone that dared to threaten her or question her decisions.

"Does that make you my knight?" She teased around a quiet yawn, hand coming up to cover her mouth as she did so. His answering smile seemed to warm her even more than the whiskey had.

"Nah...Haven't you heard? I'm the guard dog." Still smiling, Murphy gently moved them around until she was laying back where she'd originally been and him sitting beside her, her head in his lap. "Now get some sleep. I'll stay up for tonight and wake you when the rain stops." Clarke would've protested if she wasn't so tired but seeing as she was, she just nodded with another yawn and let her eyes close. As she was drifting off, she could've sworn she heard Murphy whisper something to her as he ran a surprisingly gentle hand through her hair. But before she could dwell on what he might have said, she'd drifted into a peaceful sleep, Murphy still gently running his fingers through her hair.


	4. The Way Back

**A/N: Sigh. Okay, guys. I swear that I will try my best to update at least once a week, but no promises. School is pretty busy at the moment, but I swear that I will do my utmost to keep updates at least semi-regular.**

** I still have no idea where this story is headed, but I plan to figure that out soon! I'm hoping to make this last a bit before I wrap everything up. Might put a few deaths, some serious injuries maybe...I do love angst.**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the characters in this story, blah, blah, blah. You know the drill.**

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Clarke woke the next morning to the faint chirping of birds and the sunlight streaking across her face, the light reflecting off her hair and making the blonde look almost like a fallen angel. If it weren't for the ugly grimace and clenched shut eyes. Rolling over, she buried her face further into her pillow and let out a pitiful groan. The pillow she was laid on shook with laughter, deft fingers flicking her ear and a low but much too loud voice sounding from a few inches above her.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Clarke turned her head to glare at Murphy, groaning when the movement seemed to upset the tiny gremlins banging away at the inside of her skull.

"Sh," she reached up and placed her hand over her companions mouth. "No yelling...or cheerfulness." Satisfied that she'd temporarily shut the other up, she rolled onto her back and threw an arm over her eyes in an attempt to block the sunlight currently shining directly in her face. The blonde was close to falling back asleep when a calloused hand grabbed her arm and tugged gently, removing it from her face.

"Not yelling, Princess. That's the hangover," he smirked down at the dower teen currently laying in his lap. "And you told me to get you up when the rain stopped. Well, the rain stopped a couple of hours ago. So up and at 'em, we've got a long walk back to camp and I'd like to get back in time to eat." Murphy flicked her ear once more before he moved her head off of his leg and stood, stretching his arms above his head and grunting when his back popped.

"Why didn't you wake me then?" she mumbled, rolling onto her stomach and burying her face in the blankets in another failed attempt to return to sleep. This attempt was soon foiled as well when Murphy kicked her none too gently in the side. Grunting, she pushed herself up into a push up like position and turned her head to glare up at the smirking culprit. Cursing loudly, she slowly pushed herself up until she was standing and pressed the heels of her palms hard against her eyelids.

"Because you waking up on your own meant I wouldn't be murdered for waking you up?" he showed her pity, reaching into his bag and handing her a half full water bottle. "Drink up. It'll help a bit." Clarke took the bottle with a grateful half smile and took several small sips before handing it back.

"It'll have to do until we get back to Camp Jaha." she sighed, running a hand through her hair and ducking down to retrieve her bags. Once she had both her backpack and bag of supplies securely over her should she waved to Murphy.

"Lead the way."

Murphy cocked an eyebrow but nodded, shrugging his own bag over his shoulder before picking up his gun and opening the hatch to the main floor of the drop ship. He climbed down and landed with a thud on the grates below, waiting for her to join him. She made her way down just a bit slower, landing with a thud of her own that seemed to rattle her brain. Barely containing a groan, she followed the lanky teen out of the drop ship and back out into the forest. The air outside was muggy and hot, a common thing they'd learned since summer had begun. Usually it was bearable but the rain from the night before had made the air muggy and uncomfortable, gnats and mosquitoes flying around in swarms as they began their journey back to camp.

Clarke was starting to regret her choice not to do as most of the girls at camp had done and cut one of her pairs of pants into shorts to bare the heat. But she'd thoughts best of it and decided not to. Now she was sweating, her long sleeved t-shirt and jeans sticking to her skin with sweat.

"Stop." she ordered, dropping her bags to the forest floor and leaning against the nearest tree as she fought to catch her breath. Thankfully, Murphy was quick to follow her orders most of the time and had stopped as she said, watching her with concern. She waved him off and reached back to lift the hair from the back of her neck, sighing quietly.

"M'fine. Just hot." Waving off his concern, she used one of the few hair ties she had to put her hair in a messy bun at the base of her neck. It didn't help as much as she hoped so she gave into temptation and striped off her first layer, leaving her in a thin black tank top. Sighing in relief, she used the t-shirt to wipe the sweat from her face and arms before pushing away from the tree.

"Once we get to camp I swear I'm cutting up my thinnest pants and making shorts, I can't stand this weather any long. Then maybe head for the river, god knows I could use the wash." Clarke grimaced, eyeing the layer of dirt and grime that seemed to cover them all with distaste. Thought she'd gotten used to being dirty and going up to a week without taking the time to wash more than wiping a washcloth over her skin, it stilled bothered her. Glancing over, she glared slightly when she noticed Murphy shaking with silent laughter.

"What's so funny?" she demanded, hands now on her hips as she stared the other down.

"You, princess. Only you would look so offended by the dirt on your skin." Shaking his head, Murphy chuckled as he readusted the bag on his shoulder and gave her a look. "Now that your done, can we get going? We have over four miles to go before we get back to camp and I for one am absolutely starving." Not waiting for her to answer, he turned on the heel of his boot and continued his march through the forest with her trailing behind. Once again wiping her face with the shirt, she steeled herself for the rest of the walk. They didn't stop anymore on their trek back to camp, allowing them to return in record time.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the tree line and made her way up to the gates. The order was quickly followed and the both of them were soon surrounded by questions, both adults and teens alike demanding to know where they'd been. One of their grounder guards making the mistake of grabbing her elbow a bit to roughly for her guard dogs liking and soon found himself with a knife to his throat.

"Goddammit, Murphy, put that away." she sighed, running a hand over her face. At this point she couldn't even get angry at the boy for doing this, most grounders had learned by now not to touch her unless she allowed it and even then Murphy was wary of them, his knife always out in some casual way such as using it to clean his nails or carve things into the nearest object.

"He didn't mean any harm and you know it." Reaching up, she pushed his hand down until it rested at his side, her own hand gently running up and down his arm in hopes of soothing him slightly. Clarke knew that grounders made him uncomfortable, that they made him want to run and hide until they left. But she also knew that he would never hide and that he'd try his hardest to make them as uncomfortable as they made him feel in his own camp.

"He touched you, Clarke." his voice was low, almost a growl as he glared harshly at the grounder before them rubbing his neck with a glare of his own. Rolling her eyes skyward, she wondered what she'd done to become moderator before speaking.

"That he did, but that doesn't mean you can kill him, John." Clarke hid a smirk behind her hand when the teen beside her turned his glare upon her instead when she used his first name. He opened his mouth to speak but they were both cut off by the voice of her mother shouting her name. Groaning, she gave both Murphy and the grounder a glare of her own before turning to face her mother.

"Mom, I can exp-" Clarke didn't get another word in before her mother cut her off, hands on her hips and a fierce glare on her face.

"Clarke. I don't care if you can explain. My tent. Now." She was about to protest but decided better of it with the crowd currently gathered around them. Nodding, she started on her way, Murphy trailing behind her.

"Not you, Murphy. You have kitchen duty. Go." Abby Griffin glared at the filthy teen currently following her daughter and waited for him to follow her orders as most did. Clarke was about to protest when she noticed the look on his face but was again cut off, this time by the cold voice that she rarely heard from Murphy anymore.

"Sorry, _Chancellor_, but I don't take orders from you or anyone else at this camp but Clarke. Unless she wants me to leave, I'm not." his voice was cool, carefully blank of any emotion as he stared down her mother with nothing but contempt. Her mother opened her mouth to yell at him but shut it when he fingered the knife resting at his hip.

"I am the Chancellor! I give the orders here, _not_ my teenage daughter." Abby's face was flushed a bright red in her anger, lips pursed tightly. "As for you, you have no say here. You're a criminal, nothing but a child. If I say go, you go. What parent doesn't teach their child to follow orders." Clarke's mouth gaped open as she stared at her mother, eyes wide before she shook herself from her stupor and placed a restraining hand on Murphy's arm. She could feel him practically vibrating as he glared at her mother.

"Well then, Chancellor...I have only one thing to say to you before I take my leave." Murphy's lips curled into a cruel smirk.

"_Go fuck yourself_." The words were spoken slowly and with an almost sugary sweet tone before he turned on his heel, middle finger up over his shoulder as he strode away with Clarke staring after him with a small smile.

"What he said, Mom. If you want to be Chancellor so bad, I'm sure **my** people wouldn't mind moving back to the drop ship too much." Bowing at the waist, she turned on her heel and followed after her partner, hoping to catch up to him before he did something stupid.

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**A/N: Okay, guys. I need a bit of help. I originally planned for their relationship to be purely platonic but I'm not too sure about that now. **  
**So, I'm going to ask you guys what I should do! I will most likely put up a poll, but reviews are appreciated as well! **

**Thanks for reading! Don't be afraid to leave me reviews, they never fail to cheer me up! **


	5. Small Comforts

**A/N: And here we are again with another chapter! I was going to make this super angsty but then fluff won out so here's this. **

** Disclaimer: As always, I own none of the characters or their stories, only the things I do when I borrow them!**

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Clarke caught up with Murphy just as he reached the slowly opening gates, her breath coming faster than usual due to her having to run to catch up with the taller boys much longer strides. Taking a deep breath, she slowed so she was walking alongside him as they exited the camp, not asking where they were going and instead allowing him the quiet he obviously needed at the moment. They walker for quite some times before she realized where he was taking them. Smiling slightly to herself, she reached over and gently took his hand in her own as they walker, still not saying a word as they continued to walk. Her smiled brightening slightly when she felt his fingers tighten around her own and squeeze gently.

Soon they reached the nearby river, hands still clasped as they walked along the edge until they found a suitable spot to sit. Having been too busy in the commotion of everything back at camp, they both still carried their bags and weapons. Gently untangling her hands from Murphy's she shrugged bother her bags off and set them on the ground beside them before taking a seat. Her silent companion following her example and doing the same. The two sat in silence for some time before her companions quiet voice broke the spell.

"Do you know when I started doing this, Princess? When I started protecting you, that is." he didn't look over at her as he spoke, his eyes trained on rivers current instead. Clarke shook her head, mumbling a quiet no in response. She really didn't remember when he'd become so protective, only that he had and it had just become routine for them.

"I thought not," he snorted, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "I'll tell you then." Murphy twisted into a more comfortable position before speaking again.

"It was just a bit after you killed Finn, when you were snapping at me and cursing me for not stopping him. I'd never seen you like that, so angry and...cold. You were always so full of hope and light. Everyone had been worried then, but I think I worried more than most. I knew what grief looked like, I knew you'd gone through it before but I'd still never seen you so angry." he took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't like seeing you like that and when you guys came back from Tondc after the ceremony it was even worse. You'd gone from this angry, grieving person to nothing. You didn't show anything and that's when I started to worry. Despite everything that I've done and said to you, you were the first person to actually care about my well being in a long ass time, Princess." Another snort escaped him at this and Clarke was about to speak when he shook his head.  
"Not a word until I'm done, Clarke, or else I may not be able to say all this." she nodded her agreement and sat back to listen. "Again, you were the first person in a very long time to care about my well being. Maybe the only one since my parents were floated. But that's a different story. It was when you sent Bellamy to Mount Weather that I really started. You were too focused on revenge and hatred to really notice all that was going on around you and I took it upon myself to be there to do it for you. I sat back and watched as you slowly became this...ruthless leader. You weren't the Clarke I'd known before and I was hoping that maybe having someone there to protect you would help somehow, show you that you weren't alone in all of this...that you didn't have to become the Commander to survive here. But that didn't happen until Tondc was burned. I'd sat back, watching as you and Lexa escaped and I had known then and there that you wouldn't be able to shrug this one off. This decision was going to make or break you, Princess, and I knew that someone was going to have to be there to give you that push in the right direction, though I'm glad it was Octavia and not me. I still think you would've killed me if I'd done it."

"I wouldn't have killed you..." she whispered, staring at Murphy as several emotions seemed to flicker across his face before he settled for indifference.

"Maybe not. But I continued on protecting you the best I could as the fight drew closer. I don't think you noticed until I buried my knife in that grounders hand during one of the meetings." he smiled slightly when she snorted, shaking her head. "It's true, Princess. You'd been so absorbed with the plans for Mount Weather you didn't notice as several grounders started to shy away as you walked by with me trailing behind."

"I'd known you'd started following me around the time Bellamy left. I just didn't know why until you'd done that.." Clarke shifted, running a fingers along the surface of the water as she spoke. "I...didn't really want to knowledge that there was someone that didn't judge me for everything I'd done. I knew Lexa didn't, but she was different." She saw Murphy nod in the corner of her eye and smiled slightly.

"I know that. It started to get better as the battle approached, you started to act more like yourself, checking in on the guard and even asking me how I was doing when I caught up with you in the mornings. Everything was really getting better as you realized that we would have our people back soon. That you'd have all your friends back and safe in just a matter of hours. Bellamy had succeeded in taking down the acid fog, the 47 were safe with the people that didn't agree with Cage and you had an entire army at your back as well as one in the Mountain itself. The day of the battle was...chaos but we made it. We marched back to Camp Jaha with you and Bellamy leading us. Just like it had been before and I'd realized that maybe you didn't need protection anymore, but I was still going to. Because somehow in those couple weeks you'd become my very own Princess and I wasn't about to let anything bad happen to you ever again, even if it meant risking myself to stop it. And I know I don't deserve any of this, that I'm nothing but a criminal, but I won't let you go." his voice shook a bit near the end and Clarke frowned, taking his hand between her own once more.

"I never want you to risk yourself for me, Murphy. Never." she twisted so she was kneeling beside him, hands gripping one of his own tightly. "I may be your Princess, but you are my knight, my guard and I refuse to let you die to protect me. If you die, I'm personally going o bring you back to life just so I can kill you myself. You aren't just a criminal either, my mom doesn't know shit. You're also kind and funny and the only person I would trust my life with." A smile twisted at the corner of her lips as she stared at the boy, eyes shining as blue as the sky above as she did so. Murphy thinks that's when he realized he was in love with the Princess, when she smiled that beautiful smile and told him she didn't want him to die, that he wasn't just a criminal, but if he was being honest with himself, he'd known he was in love with Clarke for a lot longer than today. But it was that day that he felt the slightest hope that maybe, just maybe, someday his Princess could love him back.

"I know, Princess." he returned her smile with a much smaller one of his own, bringing their clasped hands close to his mouth and kissing her knuckles gently. "I can't promise I won't, but I'll try not to." Clarke's smile brightened in response, cheeks flushed a light pink.

"Good, I'd hate to have to kill you. Now! Enough with the sad. I told my mom that if she wouldn't accept us in the camp that I'm sure our people wouldn't mind making our way back to our original home. Because, being honest, Camp Jaha never felt like home to me and I'd actually love to go back." she let their joined hands fall to rest in her lap. "Now, we can either go back now, or we can stay for a bit and go for a swim to relax."

Murphy actually smiled this time, squeezing her hands before tugging his away and standing up. "We can talk about that later, with the rest of them."

"Race ya, Princess." He smirked and unlaced his boots enough to kick them off. Clarke laughed loudly, doing the same and quickly stripping herself out of everything but her underwear and taking a full sprint before diving into the river, Murphy only a few seconds behind.

"I'm sorry, did you say something about a race? Because it seems I was in first." Clarke teased, legs kicking to keep herself afloat as she grinned over at Murphy. She would never cease to thank Lincoln for teaching Octavia and them how to swim. It was an amazing experience, the feeling of floating and not having to worry about holding yourself up, just letting the water hold you up.

"You cheated somehow, I know it." he rolled his eyes, splashing Clarke with a smirk. "I would've been in before you if my shoes hadn't taken forever to get off."

"Excuses, excuses, Murphy. Just admit that I won."

"Never, Princess." Clarke rolled her eyes, splashing Murphy back and swimming closer to the rocks along the edge of the river.

"Sore loser, huh?" she cocked an eyebrow as she rested her arms on the rocks behind her, eyes slowly closing as she enjoyed both the heat of the sun on her face and the refreshing coolness of the water surrounding her.

"Maybe..." she didn't open her eyes as the voice got closer, only opening them when she felt a hand around her ankle, tugging her under water before swimming off again. Swimming to the surface, she glared at the laughing teen only a few feet away.

"Oh, you're dead, Murphy." her words and glare were ruined by the grin on her face as she pushed off the wall and swam towards the still laughing boy.

"I'm shaking, Princess!" Murphy smiled, the first real smile she'd witnessed from the other since they'd met and she stopped in her tracks, watching with wide eyes. She'd never realized how beautiful he was before she'd seen that smile ans she silently vowed to herself to see it more often. Shaking away her thoughts, she swam forward and Murphy took chase, swimming away towards the river bank with a laugh. Clarke finally caught up to him near the edge, dunking him under water before hurriedly climbing out of the water and standing on the rocks above him, a grin on her face and hands raised above her head.

"I win!" she chidlishly stuck her tongue out at Murphy as he surfaced, hands splayed out across the rocks as she heaved himself out of the water.

"Yeah, yeah, Princess." Murphy flipped her off as he shook his head, sending droplets of water flying everywhere, including herself. Shaking her head slightly at his behavior, she reached into her bag and picked up her now dry over shirt and used it to dry herself off the best she could as she watched Murphy do the same with his own shirt, simply pulling his jeans on and leaving the shirt out in the sun to dry.

"Let's stay out here for awhile...We can go back once we're dry." Clarke nodded in agreement, leaving her own jeans off and laying down on the rocks with her eyes closed, the last thought to cross her mind before she drifted was that maybe she didn't always need to be leader, maybe it was nice to let someone take care of her for once sometimes.

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**Wow, I didn't realize how fluffy this would be until it was all finished! But here we are, a new chapter! And only a day after the newest one. I'm on a roll. {And probably going to disappoint people because the next chapter may take awhile}**

**As per the most popular request, I'm going to be making this a Clarke/Murphy story. But I want to let it build, so nothing may happen for awhile. But I've got a plan for how everything is going to be revealed. So no worries.**

** Don't forget to Read &amp; Review, it means a lot!**


	6. AN Sorry!

**A/N: I apologize that this isn't a chapter. I know I promised that I wasn't going to abandon this story - And I don't plan on it! But school has picked up quite a bit seeing as the school year is coming to a close in a month or two. So I haven't really had the time to write lately, and I'm sorry for that. To add to that, my muse for the story has been in hiding whenever I do have the time so every time I sit down to pop out another chpater my brain goes completely blank.**

** So, I'm putting this story on a Semi-Hiatus. I will write if and when I have the time AND the muse to write. I'm sorry to do this to you all, I know I hate when people do this as well but I see why they have to some times. **


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